A.J. Florence runs toward first base during a 6-1 win Sunday over Arkansas-Fort Smith. Florence and the OC Eagles moved into the South Central Region top 10 after a sweep of the weekend series against UAFS.

DENVER (March 10, 2014) – On a six-game winning streak, Oklahoma Christian made its first appearance in the South Central Region baseball rankings, checking in at No. 9 in the poll that was released Monday.

OC (10-5) had been on the cusp of the top 10 since the preseason and finally broke through after recording its second straight Heartland Conference series sweep, taking three games from previous region No. 10 Arkansas-Fort Smith over the weekend.

“This is another milestone as we build our program,” OC coach Lonny Cobble said. “We are very excited about the team’s progress and the recognition we are starting to receive regionally and nationally. We look forward to building on a good start to the season and continuing to play solid baseball.”

OC received 20 points in the poll, which is compiled by the National Collegiate Baseball Writers Association and includes teams from the three NCAA Division II leagues that make up the region – the Heartland, Lone Star and Rocky Mountain Athletic Conferences.

Three other Heartland Conference teams were ranked in the regional top 10 – No. 1 St. Mary’s (Texas) at 17-4, No. 5 St. Edward’s (Texas) at 14-6 and No. 6 Lubbock Christian (Texas) at 14-7.

In the Heartland standings, OC entered this week in third place at 7-2, trailing Lubbock Christian (7-1) and St. Mary’s (5-1).

OC’s current six-game winning streak matches the Eagles’ longest since the program was revived in 2008. The Eagles will host Southwestern Oklahoma State in a nonconference game at Dobson Field at 5 p.m. on Tuesday before heading to Odessa, Texas, to play conference foe Texas-Permian Basin in a three-game series on Friday and Saturday.